In the related art, techniques of displaying images captured by a compact camera mounted in an automobile vehicle, a railroad vehicle, or the like on a display device installed, for example, near the driver's seat are known (for example, see JP-A-2002-19556 and JP-A-2010-33108). By capturing the images of areas that are difficult for the driver to see during driving using such a camera and displaying the captured images on a display device, such areas can be changed to areas that are visible to the driver. For example, in the case of automobile vehicles, the rear or the like of a vehicle is often set as the areas that are difficult for drivers to see taking a case in which the vehicle moves backward to park into consideration. Moreover, at the intersections of a narrow road, it is difficult to recognize vehicles approaching from the left and right sides.
Moreover, an imaging system which uses a monitoring device that captures and displays images output by a plurality of cameras in order to display the surroundings of a vehicle is known. This imaging system enhances the visibility of a plurality of images using a PinP (Picture in Picture) presentation function of displaying images captured in different directions on the same monitor screen. Another in-vehicle imaging system is known which converts and combines parts of a whole image using an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or the like for processing images output by a camera to thereby perform a PinP presentation using a function of arranging separate screen areas within a screen. In this imaging system, after the images output by the camera are taken into an image memory of the ECU through wiring harness, the plurality of transmitted images are combined together. Thus, the definition of images displayed on an in-vehicle monitor depends on the bandwidth of the transmission system. Therefore, the images are taken into the image memory of the ECU and the conversion images are combined together in a state where the resolution of the transmitted images is decreased.
FIG. 18 shows an example of an image 100 of the surroundings of a vehicle, captured with an in-vehicle camera of the related art.
In the related art, a camera system is known in which an in-vehicle camera is disposed on the front of a vehicle to display the video on the left and right sides of the vehicle to a display unit so that the user can observe the areas on the left and right sides of the vehicle as well as on the front side. Moreover, a camera system is known in which a camera uses an anamorphic lens or the like of which the optical axis of a lens is designed to be asymmetrical so that the user can observe the areas on the left and right sides of a vehicle as well as on the front side. In the former camera system, the images captured by three cameras disposed on the front and the left and right sides of the vehicle are taken, and the images are combined and displayed by an image presentation function used in a camera control ECU or a navigation system.